SAN DIEGO, CA - JUNE 06: Nolan McLean #26 interacts with Luis Torrens #13 of the New York Mets during the game between the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Brendon Baranov/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s been 12 years since a Met won a Gold Glove Award, marking the second-longest active drought in the majors. But 2026 may finally bring an end to that streak, as Luis Torrens, Nolan McLean, and Carson Benge were all named finalists for a Gold Glove Award at their respective positions on Wednesday afternoon.
Torrens was also a finalist at catcher in 2025, losing to the Giants’ back-to-back winner Patrick Bailey. This year, Bailey was left off the finalist list after being traded midseason from the Giants to the Guardians. Torrens put up a Fielding Run Value of 10 despite playing in just 91 games, ranking second second in the National League behind the Marlins’ Joe Mack (13), and ahead of the fellow finalists: the Padres’ Freddy Fermin (9) and the Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno (7). His 12 Defensive Runs Saved ranked third in the majors, trailing only the Tigers’ Dillon Dingler and Moreno. Torrens would become the first Mets catcher to win a Gold Glove Award.
McLean, meanwhile, has a chance to become the first Mets pitcher to win a Gold Glove Award since Ron Darling in 1989. McLean’s 4 defensive runs saved were tied for third-most in the NL. The Cardinals’ Michael McGreevy led the pack with 5, while Chris Sale, the third finalist, came in behind McLean with 3.
Benge has his sights set on winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award after a late-season tear, but why not grab a Gold Glove Award, too? Nominated alongside the Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki and the Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll, Benge’s case may be the strongest — and also the strangest — among the Mets’ trio of finalists. His Fielding Run Value of 6 ranks second among NL right fielders behind Suzuki (8), but his arm value (7) was the best among all MLB outfielders thanks to a plethora of pulchritudinous throws. Despite the eye test, Benge’s range is actually what’s hurting him. Statcast has him grading out at -1 Outs Above Average in right field. His 7 defensive runs saved in right field are half that of Suzuki’s 14. If voters value Benge’s cannon of an arm and his highlight-reel-worthy dives, he can expect to take home the hardware. But Suzuki may earn the nod thanks to his more balanced defensive grades.
If either Benge or McLean win, they would become just the second Mets rookie to win a Gold Glove Award after Juan Lagares (who also won the NL Rookie of the Year Award) in 2014. If McLean wins, he would become the first rookie to win a Gold Glove Award at pitcher in MLB history.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 18: Cole Young #2 of the Seattle Mariners fields a ground ball and throws to first in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Seattle Mariners put out a historically bad defense in 2026, but one member of the roster is being recognized for floating above the rest of the sinking ship. 2B Cole Young has been named as a finalist for the Gold Glove Award at second base, presented by Rawlings. Young demonstrated a sizable improvement in his footwork and arm accuracy, getting a good deal out of his athleticism and average foot speed. He’s joined on the ballot by a pair of American League Central keystoners: 2B Michael Massey of the Kansas City Royals and 2B Chase Meidroth of the Chicago White Sox.
The Gold Glove Award is allotted based on a combination of votes from managers and coaches (75% weight) and a proprietary Defensive Index formula cultivated by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and Rawlings (25% weight). Young has a curious case for the award, rating clearly as the best defensive two-bagger by Defensive Runs Saved at +16. That not only has him as the best second baseman, but the eighth-best defender in the sport. Meanwhile, via Statcast and Baseball Savant, the Outs Above Average range-gauging metric has a much lower estimation of Young’s play, placing him at -6 OAA and a cumulative -5 Fielding Run Value (FRV) when attempting to gauge more of the player’s skill overall.
The Defensive Index from SABR seems to lean more DRS-ward, and while the data are not perpetually public, the organization reveals monthly snapshots of their leaderboards. Through August 9th, Young was the only 2B listed in the Top-25 American League defenders, giving him a chance at leading in that portion of the award. Given Young was the only defender it felt comfortable to hope a groundball was hit at during the 2026 season, it seems more than appropriate to see him heralded.
Young’s knock has typically been what drove him to second base in the first place: arm strength that rated as 380th out of 388 qualified players across all positions by Baseball Savant. The metric averages the top 5% of velocity throws from each player in an attempt to sample only the throws wherein the player is “trying their hardest,” and Young’s tendency for slow hands that transitioned into floating throws contributed to a M’s infield that struggled to turn double plays. And yet, Young’s accuracy with his arm, even with underwhelming pace, earned positive value from FRV for throwing. Combining these metrics with the less-useful metric of Fielding Percentage, which captures merely what MLB determines an error or not in an increasingly rare ruling, Young’s .990 fielding percentage in his AL-leading 1350.1 innings at the keystone was also best in the American League.
Congratulations to Young on being a finalist, and fingers are of course crossed for his victory, yes. That’s all well and good, but the most important thing is that the dream lives: Lookout Landing Managing Editor Kate Preusser vowed early this year to get a thematic tattoo should Cole Young win a Gold Glove this season. As the season progressed, this went from flippant and funny to plausibly possible. When asked about potential tattoos, Preusser noted she may homage departed infield coach Perry Hill with a bone-themed design, should she see Young’s name called for the award.
Winners will be announced on ESPN on Sunday, November 1st.
Game 4 of the National League Championship Series will start an hour earlier Thursday, Oct. 14, Major League Baseball announced, a result of the significant time change involving the American League Championship Series.
The Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers will start NLCS Game 4 at 5 p.m. PT/8 ET since the time of ALCS Game 3 was moved to 1 p.m. ET due to anticipated inclement weather in Cleveland, where the Guardians will host the Tampa Bay Rays.
Originally, the Brewers and Dodgers were to tip off an hour later to space out the game times for television purposes. Instead, both games will avoid any overlap, though Guardians and Rays fans will have to adjust their schedules for the matinee start.
Wednesday, the ALCS has a travel day while NLCS Game 3 begins at 8 ET. Friday, ALCS Game 4 is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET and NLCS Game 5, if necessary, at 9 ET. Fox Sports is broadcasting the NLCS while TBS has coverage of the ALCS.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 10: Brandin Podziemski #2 of the Golden State Warriors moves the ball against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of the preseason game at Chase Center on October 10, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Godofredo A. Vásquez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Warriors fans and fans across the country.
On Saturday, exciting news broke: the Golden State Warriors had reached an agreement on an extension with fourth-year guard Brandin Podziemski, paying the Santa Clara alum $110 million over five years, starting with the 2027-28 season (he’ll play out this year on the final season of his base rookie-scale contract).
It’s a middle of the road extension, which pays the southpaw like a quality starter, but not like a star. At first glance, it feels like a deal that’s a win for both the team and the player. Podziemski gets a massive pay increase over his rookie deal (four years, $16.2 million), and gets some security should he suffer an injury or a down year ahead of what would have been his first foray into free agency next summer. And the Warriors get a quality player they love for a reasonable price, and don’t have to worry about the market boosting Podziemski’s price tag in restricted free agency.
But, as is always the case with long term contracts, reasonable minds can disagree. So I’m curious how Dub Nation views Podziemski’s extension. From a team standpoint, how would you grade the deal?
Oct 14, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; A general overall view of Dodger Stadium prior to game three of the NLCS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers were much better hitting in road games this regular season, but now have up to three games at home this week to try to keep their championship quest alive. They’ll need to find their offense to do so.
At Dodger Stadium this season, the Dodgers hit .250/.329/.419 with a 107 wRC+ that ranked ninth in the majors, averaging 4.63 runs per game. But on the road they averaged 5.26 runs while hitting .263/.347/.429 with a 114 wRC+, with all of those numbers tops in the majors. Their road batting average was nine points clear of second place (Rays), and their on-base percentage was 16 points better than the next-best (Cubs, Brewers).
But on their four-game road trip — work with me here, since the Dodgers returned home to Los Angeles after the two games in Atlanta before heading to Milwaukee — the club scored only 11 total runs while hitting a paltry .181/.254/.260. The Dodgers on the road did get their only two hits with runners in scoring position this October, both Andy Pages singles (Game 4 in Atlanta, Game 1 in Milwaukee).
“I’m not too concerned about the urgency. I just want to keep that intensity,” manager Dave Roberts said of the offense on Wednesday. “It’s going to be good to be at home, play in front of the home crowd, again, win a game and then go from there.”
One way to get the offense going might be the long ball, as the Brewers have hit the only two home runs so far in the NLCS. The Dodgers at home in the regular season hit 101 homers, compared to 103 on the road. But per plate appearance, Dodger Stadium was the plate to be, hitting a home home run once every 29.4 plate appearances compared to one every 31.5 PA away from home.
The Dodgers hit five home runs in the first two games of the Division Series against the Braves.
Left-hander Robert Gasser allowed a perfectly normal 15 home runs in his 21 games and 109 1/3 innings this season, and a home run accounted for the only run against him in his four innings in Game 4 of the NLDS in San Diego.
“They know me, and I know them. I enjoy having some familiarity with a lineup,” Gasser told reporters Monday in Milwaukee. “Looking back to the game in August and kind of watching those swings, obviously hitters adjust, but being a good guy in the dugout, watching them right now and seeing how they’ve changed to now and trying to build a plan for them.”
Whatever offense the Dodgers get on Wednesday, it will be backing Blake Snell, who walked five in his last time out, in Game 2 against the Braves 10 days ago, while lasting only 3 2/3 innings.
“A big thing is momentum. Once you shift it, especially at home, anything can happen,” Snell said Tuesday. “We saw what happened when we played Toronto. I’m not worried. We’ve just got to get it going. I think, once we do that, we’ll be fine.”
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 23: Dillon Dingler #13 of the Detroit Tigers looks on in the second inning during a game against the Washington Nationals at Comerica Park on September 23, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/IOS/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 Rawlings Gold Glove awards won’t be announced until November 1, but the list of finalists at each position was released on Wednesday. The Detroit Tigers have two representatives in the group of American League finalists, one with a legitimate shot to win an award, the other a longshot.
Dillon Dingler is the first finalist for the Tigers, and should be favored to take home the Gold Glove award as the game’s best defensive catcher. He’s up against Austin Wells of the New York Yankees and Brandon Valenzuela of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Dingler was worth +15 defensive runs saved (DRS) this season per Sports Info Solutions, and a +16 fielding run value (FRV), which is Statcast’s combined catching metric. eading all qualified catchers by a wide margin. Dingler did this while appearing in 145 games total with 116 games behind the plate. Wells was worth +8 DRS and +7 FRV by comparison. Valenzuela played less, but he was also excellent defensively, posting a +9 DRS and +13 FRV.
This should be Dingler’s award. Obviously this is supposed to be about defense only, but it often hasn’t quite played out that way. On defense alone, Dingler wins. If you take whole impact on their team, Dingler wins and no one is even within sight.
Zach McKinstry is their other Tigers finalist. He’s in the utility category along with the Yankees’ José Caballero and the Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran.
Caballero played just about everywhere this season, other than first base and catcher. Overall he was worth +2 Outs Above Average (OAA). Duran was worth +13 OAA, with most of that value coming at shortstop although he too played all over the infield and outfield for the Rangers this year. McKinstry was at +8 OAA, generating plus values at shortstop, second base, and in right field where he was a bit of a revelation defensively.
Probably Duran takes this one, but McKinstry does match up pretty well against him. Caballero has the advantage of being on the best team of the three, but his numbers don’t stack up well in comparison to either Duran or McKinstry.
On the other hand, this isn’t an award based on DRS or OAA. It’s voted on by managers and coaches from each team around the league. That voting compromises 75 percent of the final points per player. The other 25 percent comes from the SABR defensive index to try and get a more objective measure into the results. You can find a little more on the voting process here.
We’ll have to wait a few weeks to find out the winners. Dingler should have a cakewalk to the award. The utility award is probably more of a wide open race.
The Vancouver Canucks have placed center Aatu Räty on waivers. If cleared, the 23-year-old will be eligible to be assigned to the AHL. This season, Räty has played four games and recorded one goal.
Räty has struggled to get into the lineup so far this year. In his four games, he has averaged 10:10 of ice time and recorded four shots on goal. As for his faceoffs, that is an area where Räty continues to excel in, posting a win percentage of 56.8%.
If cleared, Räty will most likely be assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks. He has not played in the AHL since the 2034-25 season. In 140 career games with Abbotsford, Räty has scored 37 goals and recorded 104 points.
Oct 3, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Aatu Raty (54) celebrates his goal against the Calgary Flames in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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The New York Islanders and former General Manager Lou Lamoriello made a blockbuster trade that changed the franchise four seasons ago, on January 30, 2023.
That day, the Islanders acquired then-Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat for Anthony Beauvillier, top prospect Aatu Räty, and a first-round pick.
Horvat has become the Islanders' captain and leads the franchise in goals since the day the trade was made.
Horvat's been nothing but a perfect Islander in every sense, and been worth every piece of that deal.
Beauvillier bounced around the league for a couple years after the trade, eventually settling in with the Washington Capitals.
The Canucks flipped the first-round pick for Filip Hronek.
Räty, a second-round pick for the Islanders, was seen as the coin flip that would decide the trade and who won it. He was a 20-year-old forward that broke out into the NHL just two years after getting drafted.
Wednesday afternoon, the Canucks placed Räty on waivers, with the intention of assigning the 23-year-old forward to the AHL.
While it's unlikely the forward gets claimed, it shows where he currently fits into the rebuilding Canucks' future.
Back on the day the trade was made, Räty had surged into being the Islanders' top prospect, and made his NHL Debut, and looked good as an NHLer.
He played 12 games with the Islanders before the deal. Since then, he's struggled to consistently break through with Vancouver.
Räty has shown flashes throughout his career to be a contributing bottom-six forward. His 60% face-off win percentage makes him valuable depth for any team.
On the same day they brought Don Mattingly back on a two-year contract covering the 2027 and 2028 seasons, the Phillies began reshaping the coaching staff around him.
Hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson will not return, sources told NBC Sports Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
The team has a Thursday morning press conference scheduled and has not confirmed the moves.
Long and Dickerson had been on the staff together since 2022 and remained through managerial changes from Joe Girardi to Rob Thomson and from Thomson to Mattingly in late April.
Long’s departure follows a steep one-year decline by the Phillies’ offense. Philadelphia finished fourth in the majors with a .759 OPS and second with a .258 batting average in 2025. Those marks dropped to a .707 OPS, which ranked 22nd, and a .240 average, which ranked 21st, this season. The Phillies still reached the postseason for a fifth consecutive year but scored eight runs during their three-game Wild Card Series loss to Atlanta.
Long joined the Phillies in October 2021 after four seasons in the same position with the Nationals. His five seasons in Philadelphia included a World Series appearance in 2022 and an offense that remained among baseball’s most productive through 2025. He previously served as hitting coach for the Yankees and Mets and won World Series rings with New York in 2009 and Washington in 2019.
Two years after that, as Nationals hitting coach, Long began working with Kyle Schwarber, whom the Cubs had non-tendered following a .188 season in 2020. He helped Schwarber rebuild his swing in Washington and later pushed the Phillies to sign him. Schwarber has since signed two contracts with Philadelphia worth a combined $229 million. Before agreeing to a five-year, $150 million deal last winter, Schwarber pushed for the Phillies to retain Long, according to sources. The club signed Long through 2028.
Dickerson returned to the Phillies ahead of the 2022 season, beginning his second stint as their infield coach. He previously held the position in 2019 before spending two seasons with the Padres.
Dickerson helped turn Alec Bohm into a serviceable major-league third baseman after his early defensive struggles. He also worked closely with Trea Turner during one of the most dramatic defensive improvements in baseball. After totaling minus-8 Outs Above Average during his first two seasons with the Phillies, Turner recorded 17 OAA in 2025 and finished in the 99th percentile of major-league fielders. Bryson Stott also developed into the most dependable defender in the Phillies’ infield.
The group took a sharp step backward in 2026. The Phillies’ infield went from plus-20 OAA in 2025 to minus-11 this season, a 31-out swing, according to Statcast. The range-based metric measures how many outs a player saves or costs his team compared with an average fielder.
Philadelphia chose continuity with Mattingly, but Long and Dickerson will not be part of his first full season in charge.
Sydney Sweeney attends the Armani Beauty Dinner photocall during the Venice International Film Festival at Giardini Reali on Thursday, September 3, 2026, in Venice, Italy. Getty Images
Dodgers outfielder Alex Call decided to weigh in with his opinion on social media before his team’s must-win NLCS Game 3 against the Brewers on Wednesday.
Call commented on a viral X post that criticized the commercials that are being played during MLB playoff games and wrote, “Can we please get the soft porn ads off playoff broadcasts, TBS, Fox, NBC, @MLB? My son wants to watch baseball with Dada, but how do I justify that when a half-naked women [sic] could come on screen anytime?? This is America’s Pastime. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about this.”
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Alex Call’s X post criticizing MLB for commercials that include “half-naked women.”(X/@ACAD_27).
Call makes a fair point about how this isn’t something parents should have to worry about, as it can take away from what should be a wholesome (and PG-friendly) sports-viewing experience.
Yet, given that the post was made past midnight on Wednesday morning, Dodgers fans would probably prefer that the outfielder was sleeping instead of worrying about Sweeney’s Novig commercials.
Then again, the 32-year-old Call hasn’t appeared in a postseason game to this point, despite being on the Dodgers’ active roster.
Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Alex Call (12) looks on before a game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 20: A detailed view of the 2025 Rawling Gold Glove award presented to Ty France #25 of the San Diego Padres before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park on May 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Austin Wells, Cody Bellinger, and José Caballero are the three Yankees who were named Rawlings Gold Glove finalists on Wednesday.
Among the American League finalists, Wells was named alongside Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler and the Blue Jays’ Brandon Valenzuela. The Yankees catcher had his ups and downs offensively this season, but he made up for it behind the plate by winning some clutch challenges and continuing to improve behind the plate. His days of being debated as a realistic catching prospect are long since forgotten. Wells had the fourth-highest win percentage of all MLB players in ABS challenge calls from the field during the regular season. His predecessor, Jose Trevino, was the last Yankees backstop to win a Gold Glove, when he took home both that and the elusive Platinum Glove in 2022.
Bellinger, who carried the offense during some slumps and while the team was plagued with injuries, will look to earn his second Gold Glove since his 2019 NL MVP season with the Dodgers. Bellinger was named alongside Rangers left fielder Wyatt Langford and the Rays’ Chandler Simpson. Per Baseball Savant, he was a 91st-percentile defender with +6 Outs Above Average (OAA) and a strong arm to boot. He was their most consistent outfielder and more than capably covered the vast swath of Yankee Stadium left field. Indeed, the last Yankees outfielder to win the honor also patrolled left: 2016 Brett Gardner.
Caballero is up for the Gold Glove as a utility player, which I wasn’t exactly anticipating. However, having played six positions this season, including shortstop, second base, third base, and all three outfield spots, his impact defensively was impossible to go unnoticed. He finished the regular season with a +2 OAA, a .972 fielding percentage, and a career-high 55 double plays. Despite his numbers trending in the right direction, he only started in one postseason game and went 1-for-2 in the devastating 4-3 loss to the Rays that ended the Yankees’ season.
Caballero was named a finalist alongside the Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran and the Tigers’ Zach McKinstry. As a reminder, the utilityman Gold Glove is still relatively new, as it was introduced by Rawlings in 2022, with the Yanks’ DJ LeMahieu named the first AL winner.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 13: A Los Angeles Dodgers groundscrew worker paints the postseason logo on the field before the Milwaukee Brewers workout prior to the NLCS at Dodger Stadium on October 13, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Expected weather in Cleveland has affected the start time of Thursday’s National League Championship Series Game 4 in Los Angeles. Dodgers vs. Brewers will now start one hour earlier, from 6:08 p.m. to 5:08 p.m. PT, as a result of the American League Championship Series Game 3 moving to earlier in the day.
Earlier on Wednesday, Major League Baseball announced that the forecast of inclement weather in Cleveland on Thursday night moved Game 3 of Guardians vs. Rays from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET, a 10 a.m. PT start time. The original schedule had a three-hour window for TBS before the FS1 broadcast of Dodgers-Brewers. But with the ALCS on Thursday moving to earlier in the day, MLB decided to move Dodgers-Brewers into the preferred 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET time slot reserved for most nights.
With the time change, Dodger Stadium parking lot gates on Thursday will open at 2 p.m., with stadium gates set to open at 2:30 p.m. for the 5:08 p.m. game.
An early bite from the injury bug has forced the Philadelphia Flyers to tap into their prospect pool and lean on depth players, but one top prospect, in particular. is making an early case to remain with the team even when everyone is healthy.
Defenseman Oliver Bonk, called up by the Flyers in the wake of the injury to Rasmus Ristolainen, has been pressed into action on the top pair next to Travis Sanheim. His season debut against Carolina was rough, stumbling to a -3 rating in the 4-1 loss, but Bonk bounced back in a major way in his second game of the season against Seattle on Tuesday night.
Bonk, 21, handled exactly 20 minutes in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to Seattle, adding an impressive assist on a solo rush towards the end of his shift and adding a shot on goal to boot.
In Bonk's 18:40 of ice time at 5-on-5, the Flyers controlled 61.29% of the shot attempts (19-12) while out-chancing the Kraken 8-7, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Of course, it wasn't all perfect for Bonk, who made a bad line change that eventually led to a Jordan Eberle breakaway and subsequent penalty shot.
Flyers goalie Dan Vladar made the stop, and Bonk just kept playing after that. The former first-round pick's mentality is something that has impressed head coach Rick Tocchet thus far.
"He knew he screwed up, and I watched him, and he just kind of was breathing through it and didn't it faze him. I thought he even played better after it. I love that about a young guy," Tocchet said of Bonk after Wednesday's practice.
"He didn't let that moment get to him, and then you know you saw him make that rush play to the goal to [Christian Dvorak]. So that's a big step, to see a young guy do that."
On his assist, Bonk dove to his stomach to sprawl out and break up a 2-on-1 Kraken scoring chance, then took it upon himself to scramble up the left side boards, motoring into the zone before flinging a backhand pass across the middle of the ice.
Tyson Foerster, who was cutting up the gut, dummied Bonk's pass for Christian Dvorak, who slammed the puck past an unsuspecting Philipp Grubauer, giving the Flyers their first goal of the game and pulling them within one.
It was a play like that where a young guy, like Bonk, took it upon himself to make a play, and it may very well have been the play that spurred the Flyers to go on and earn a point in the overtime loss.
Just over a minute later, Sanheim followed suit during a sequence of 4-on-4 play, driving up the ice before peeling back to find Trevor Zegras as the trailer, who coolly slotted past Grubauer in the top left corner to tie the game at 2-2.
The offensively-starved Flyers, who are also without top-six winger Travis Konecny, need all the help they can get from a defense core that has long been greater than the sum of its parts.
"We definitely need the fourth guy. I mean, you can't win in this league or get chances if you don't have that fourth wave," Tocchet assessed Wednesday afternoon.
Despite the strong outing from Bonk and Sanheim, the Flyers still rank 29th in the NHL in scoring amongst defensemen, getting eight points in eight games from their rearguards.
That output, as low as it may be, still accounts for 28.6% of points by Flyers players this year, which is the ninth-highest percentage in the NHL.
This is all to say that players like Sanheim, Bonk, Jamie Drysdale, and even Cam York and David Jiricek have needed to carry the load for a sputtering group of forwards, and they themselves have not been infallible.
One thing is clear, though: Bonk is making a legitimate case to stay with the Flyers at the NHL for the long run, even if and when Ristolainen returns.
The Finn won't join the Flyers in Detroit for Thursday night's game against the Red Wings, which will provide at least one more opportunity for Bonk to show the Tocchet and the Flyers they can rely on him in big minutes or small, regardless of the situation.
Made in London
Denver Barkey has been enjoying his first real NHL run with longtime teammate Oliver Bonk. (Photo: Kyle Ross, Imagn Images)
Forward Denver Barkey, who made the surprise leap to the NHL level in his first professional season last year, has established himself as a fixture for the Flyers' middle-six.
Bonk, who was drafted with and teammates with Barkey in London, could be following suit in short order.
"It's all you can really hope for from your friends, especially here, someone to lean on, someone to give you advice who's already been here for a year," Bonk said of Barkey. "It's great, seeing where we came from in London to here. It's really special to see."
Added Barkey: "It's been cool. We've grown up together since we were 15 years old. We've been in London together, watching each other grow, and this has always been our goal. So, to be living it together, living the dream, it's cool, but we want to continue to grow, establish ourselves as full-time players, and just continue to do this."
Barkey's comments are an important reminder of what the Flyers' rebuild is and where it's supposed to be headed, built on youth and culture.
The 0-5-3 start to the season has clearly left a sour taste in everyone's mouths, from the front office downstream to Tocchet, the players, and the fans, but the early opportunity for someone like Bonk could be the first silver lining to what has otherwise been as glum a start as any NHL team can have.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 03: Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees celebrates after making a circus catch during the game between the Miami Marlins and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Friday, April 3, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Yankees defense has been, over the past few years, inconsistent at best. The 2024 squad, on paper, wasn’t too bad, ending the year in the middle of the pack in Defensive Runs Saved (31, good for 12th in baseball) and Outs Above Average (10, good for 10th), but defensive miscues rather infamously proved their downfall in the World Series that year. The 2025 team brought in a trio of Gold Glovers in Cody Bellinger, Max Fried, and Paul Goldschmidt and shifted Jazz Chisholm back to second base, but the team still finished 13th in DRS with 30 and 18th in OAA with -7. Considering the fact that, in many ways, the 2026 team ran back the 2025 version, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the team once again finished 13th in DRS with 26 and 17th in OAA with -5.
As befits a team whose sum total defensively trends towards mediocrity, the Yankees had more than their fair share of highlights and lowlights this year. Today, we take a look at the team’s best webgems (we’ll review the misplays later this week). We’re not ranking them, because defensive excellence need not be ranked, but feel free to do so in the comments section below!
Before Knicks star OG Anunoby tipped the ball into the hoop to give the Knicks the lead with 1.2 seconds left in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, you had Cody Bellinger. Okay, okay, nothing quite compares to that play, but nonetheless, the Yankees left fielder made quite a grab during the Yankees’ home opener back on April 3rd. In the top of the ninth, Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards drove a fly ball to deep left field. Ranging backwards, Bellinger leapt as the ball sailed over his head, and had he come down with it, that play would have ended up on the Honorable Mentions in this list. But he did not come down with it: he mistimed the jump, the ball hit his wrist. As the ball fell to the ground, he made a desperate stab at it…and somehow, he caught it.
I mean, just look at that face. That is a guy thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe that actually worked.”
Belli’s Cannon
We could honestly just fill this entire post with Bellinger highlights, but for the sake of, well, remembering players not named Cody Bellinger, we’ll limit it to just two — or rather, to two categories, because here, I just can’t pick between these two plays, both of which involve Bellinger using his arm to throw out a runner.
During the critical series between the Yankees and Red Sox at the end of August, the Yankees held a 1-0 lead late in the game. With a pair of runners in scoring position and only one away against fireman Paul Blackburn, Boston was threatening, when Willson Contreras hit a fly ball to left field for the second out of the inning. Looking to make something happen, the speedy Ceddanne Rafaela tagged up and challenged Belli, strength against strength, to make a play. He answered the call, delivering a strike to Austin Wells, as the Yankees wound up winning 1-0.
In a much less-intense version of the famous play in which Bellinger retired Juan Soto and doubled up Francisco Lindor last year, No. 35 recognized that he had a shot to double up Victor Mesa Jr., who was running on the play, and end the inning. It wasn’t his best throw to first, but Luis García Jr. made a neat scoop-and-tag while falling to the ground, finishing off a beautiful 7-3 double play with style.
While only Max Fried is truly known for his defense, the Yankees pitching staff put together quite the highlight reel, so once again, I am cheating a little bit, because I can’t pick just one (hey, I make the rules).
To begin, back on April 28th, Fernando Cruz slid to field a bunt off the bat of Joc Pederson, then threw to Ryan McMahon from his rear end to nab the lead runner for the first out of the inning (the play would be challenged, unsuccessfully, by the Rangers).
Just two weeks later, just one inning after being hit in the foot by a line drive, Cam Schlittler fielded a slow chopper off the bat of Mark Vientos and made an off-balance throw to fellow Massachusetts native Ben Rice for the third out of the inning against the Mets.
After he made his Major League debut at the beginning of August, George Lombard Jr. made fans throughout the Yankees fandom with his slick play at shortstop. My personal favorite? This barehanded grab on August 11th, where he fielded a ricochet off the second base bag cleanly before throwing to first for the third out of the inning.
José Caballero was the Yankees’ Swiss Army knife this season. He began the year as the starting shortstop (where he played 70 games), before bouncing around the field, making 23 appearances at the keystone, 37 at the hot corner, and 22 games across all three outfield positions. And while he wasn’t exactly equally proficient with the glove everywhere he played — he had 13 DRS at shortstop, 1 apiece at second and third, and -3 in the outfield — he wasn’t unplayable anywhere, and made more than his fair share of highlights there.
Let’s go around the diamond. Playing second base on July 24th, he made a diving stop ranging to his right to rob a base hit from Alec Bohm.
At shortstop, here’s a nifty play he made on September 2nd — while not the flashiest, those in-between, not quite a line drive, not quite a ground ball ones are some of the hardest to field.
At the hot corner, he teamed up with Lombard for rather unusual 6-5-3 double play. It’s the type of play that could only happen because of the shift — and because Cabby’s positional versatility allows him to adapt to unusual situations.
And lastly, on June 17th, he made this diving catch against the Tigers while in left field — a play that had me worried for a second when I saw it live, as Cabby took a second to get up.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 01: Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves fields in the first inning during Game Three of the Wild Card Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on October 1, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the MLB postseason no longer delivering frenetic news days given that we’re in League Championship Series season, where there’s not even two games on most days, it’s time for the faux-anticipation of dropping finalists (not winners, finalists) for certain end-of-season awards.
We’ve got two on the docket today. First, Gold Gloves.
I have a bone to pick with Gold Gloves, as you’ve probably read by now. There’s a way to do the whole Gold Glove thing objectively. Would it be perfect? Nah. But it would at least be steady. Instead, we have the current Rawlings award process, which is an abomination/agglomeration of multiple criteria, some of which just make no sense. For example, one criterion does involve defensive metrics, but it’s an index of multiple metrics, some of which are outdated and strictly worse than others, which just dilutes the whole endeavor. It’s whack. Anyway, here we go, courtesy of MLB.com:
As far as the Braves are concerned, their Gold Glove finalists are Chris Sale, Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, and Mauricio Dubon. Let’s look at these in turn.
Sale is a tough one, because no one really tries to evaluate pitcher defense in a way commensurate with other positions. The only measure we have that I’m aware of is DRS, and DRS has a load of problems. By DRS, though, Sale finished fourth in defensive value in the National League. (Foster Griffin was also ahead of him but was traded to the other league midseason.) I don’t know what to do with this one. The other finalists are Michael McGreevy and Nolan McLean, who finished first and third ahead of Sale, respectively, so… I dunno, give this to McGreevy? What a weird award.
Matt Olson should probably win his fourth Gold Glove. He led all first basemen in OAA/FRV (the Statcast-based measures), blowing away basically every first baseman in terms of converting range into outs.
Michael Harris II makes sense as a finalist, but Pete Crow-Armstrong more than doubled his FRV and has a giant lead, so…
That brings us to Mauricio Dubon. The “utility” position is a tough one to evaluate, since you have to really think about what qualifies someone to even be eligible for this position, and think about positional adjustments. Inclusive of those adjustments, the three finalists here are:
Dubon, with about half a win above average, with above-average marks at short, average marks in left, and an above-average cameo in center;
Jared Triolo, who only played about half a season and had less aggregate defensive value, playing mostly third and short in nondescript fashion; and
Ildemaro Vargas, who mostly played first and second, and didn’t really impress at second.
Basically, this is a weird thing, and if these are your three finalists, it feels like Dubon should win by default. That said, since apparently Nico Hoerner (played mostly second but some short) and Bryson Stott (mostly second, some third) didn’t qualify for whatever reason, Dubon really does make sense as the next-best option. (For those of you saying that Hoerner and Stott shouldn’t be in the running because two positions does not a utility guy make, look at Triolo and Vargas, who pretty much played… two positions.)
In terms of snubs, there’s not really anything to complain about, as the other Braves didn’t really warrant any real consideration here, not even as top-three finalists in the NL.
Switching gears a bit, the MLBPA announced finalists for their peer-voted Players’ Choice awards here. Of relevance to the Braves are Chris Sale (but he’ll probably lose to Jacob Misiorowski) as Outstanding Pitcher in the NL, and Martin Perez as Comeback Player. The other two finalists vying with Perez are Sandy Alcantara and… honestly, this award has kind of lost all meaning. Wheeler has thrown 149-plus frames every non-shortened season going back to his partial-season absence in 2017, while Alcantara is at 170-plus the last two years. What are they coming back from? Like, yeah, Alcantara wasn’t that good in 2025, but don’t call it a comeback. Perez wasn’t particularly good in 2026, but at least his 2025 was legitimately a partial season. I don’t know, this is a weird award. How about someone like Jordan Walker, who legitimately “came back” from being awful and minors-bound the past two seasons, or Michael King, who actually missed a bunch of 2025?
